1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a closable plastic container having a top portion and bottom portion of approximately equal dimensions, and ridges along its cooking surface for microwaving various food articles, particularly seafood such as shrimp, lobsters, king crab legs, mussels, clams and fillets of fish.
2. Description of Prior Art
Microwave ovens provide a quick and simple means of cooking and heating food in a short period of time. For this reason, they have become a popular cooking tool for people who do not have time to cook by conventional means. However, microwave ovens often leave the food article dry and tough in texture, and without the consistency found when using conventional methods. Furthermore, microwave ovens tend to heat food articles unevenly, overcooking some portions, while leaving other portions undercooked. These problems become more apparent when cooking seafood because of the sensitivity of the food.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,376 to Cyr discloses a microwavable lobster-shaped container for cooking lobsters. The container is specifically shaped to hold lobsters and so lacks the versatility to hold other, dissimilar-shaped seafood efficiently.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,136 to Mason, Jr. discloses a food container that is placed into a microwave oven in a vertical upright position which helps food articles contained therein to absorb microwave energy. A plastic film is placed over the top of the container to seal its contents when microwaving. After the food is cooked, the container is turned horizontally, where a bottom surface with ridges support the food above a series of channels which trap drippings from the food. The ridges also increase the structural strength of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,354 to Hopkins discloses a microwavable steaming tray for cooking food articles. The container has a bottom surface with ridges defining steam channels to help to cook the food. The top portion of the container is a generally flat cover that is hinged along one side to the bottom portion of the container. Circular shaped vents are provided around the perimeter of the container to allow excess steam to escape.
U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 416,751 to Sawyer et al. discloses a fish steaming tray having ridges in its bottom portion. The container""s top portion is a generally flat cover hinged to the bottom portion along one side.
None of the prior art shows a container with a top portion having approximately the same dimensions as a bottom portion, and defining a space therein to retain steam, nor do they show a container having a bottom surface and walls with ridges to improve the circulation of steam around a food article. Furthermore, none of the prior art shows a container having a hinge which creates a gap between the top portion and bottom portion to vent excess steam.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a microwavable cooking container that uniformly cooks food articles, eliminating the simultaneous overcooking and undercooking of the food articles. It is a further object of this invention to provide a container that retains the moisture of the food articles. It is still a further object of this invention to provide a microwavable cooking container that vents excess steam and overcomes other problems attendant with the prior art.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention is directed towards a microwavable container for cooking various food articles, particularly seafood such as shrimp, lobsters, king crab legs, mussels, clams and fillets of fish. The container is made of a single piece of molded plastic having a top portion and a bottom portion of approximately equal dimensions, with the top and bottom portions having a top and bottom surface and continuous walls extending from the surfaces.
In a preferred embodiment, the surfaces on the top and bottom portions are generally rectangular-shaped with four continuous walls extending therefrom. Around the edge of each wall is a flange. The flanges are attached along a rear portion of the container to form a hinge between the top and bottom portion. The flanges include an attachment means for securing the top and bottom portions together in a closed position, at a point, preferably, opposite the hinge. The hinge is sized so that when the container is closed, portions of the flanges between the hinge and the attachment means provide a small gap to allow steam to exit the container.
The bottom surface of the container includes raised ridges for holding food above its base surface, which enhances the cooking of food in a microwave oven. Because the top portion is generally empty during cooking, it provides an empty volume above the food to retain moisture produced during heating for steam cooking the food article. The plastic material used to form the container can be any of the well known, thermoformable plastics that can be subjected to microwaves, and the heat generated by microwave cooking without substantial deformation.